hat's wrong with today's liberals and cons(Too often, voters' choice is limited, to moral theocrats or economic statists
There was a time when "liberal" meant a respect for civil liberties such as free speech, restrictions on government searches, the principle of being presumed innocent until proven guilty, etc. Some 1960s liberals even went so far as to support drug decriminalization and other reforms of victimless crime laws. Of course, they were always, and continue to be, hostile to private property rights, advocates of high taxes and income redistribution, and regulation. They have always been economic statists.
Today's Democrat doesn't even have respect for civil liberties. They are totally committed to government regulating every aspect of the human condition.
Not wanting to appear soft on crime, they support warrantless searches. Free speech is okay if politically correct - but not otherwise. Commercial speech is subject to great regulation, especially if you sell tobacco. Pornography can be censored since it "demeans" women. Guns should only be possessed by the police.
if you appear suspicious, you forfeit your property
- even if not found guilty of a crime. Schools need not teach reading, writing and arithmetic as long as they issue condoms and teach liberal social ideas.
Nothing is subject to private ownership. If you own a bar, the government tells you that your patrons must not smoke. If you own rural property, you must not be allowed to develop it.
Run your business
If you make an honest living, you must pay 40% of your earnings to the government. You must be told who to hire and when you can fire. The government specifies the proper wage and how to run your business.
So today's Democrat is like yesterday's authoritarian. Everything you do should be subject to governmental approval. You are considered incompetent to conduct either your economic or your personal life without the government's express consent.
By contrast, sometimes the Republicans can be given credit for supporting at least some form of economic freedom. Of course, there are numerous exceptions. But by and large, there is still some respect for private property and some belief in limits on taxes by today's ultra-conservative who dominates the Republican Party. Unfortunately, they are all too often willing to compromise with the Democrats on economic freedoms.
But there is a big price for this limited economic freedom offered by the Republicans. Conservatives have always been hostile to certain non-economic civil liberties -but today they are
much worse.
On the one hand, a con
servative will support techno- logical development such as the Internet by attempting to limit taxes and business regulation. On the other hand, conservatives want to censor the entire World Wide Web to protect children, since parents are considered incompetent.
Of course, the end result will be destruction of a new technology along with new, selectively prosecuted, unenforceable laws.
The conservatives rightfully oppose the liberal school curricu